Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-09
SENSIBLE FARMERS.

The national convention OF farmers re
Gently held ut Atlanta, Co., was fortunate
in the selection OF its lire OF policy. II
there i8 g man on earth that has 3 right
TO complain end that might naturally be
expected 20 rebel against the existing
order Of things political, II IS tie fsrmeT.
He pays the taxes, votes the ticket, feeds
The country and n2s small representation
in the nails Of our National Legislature,
OF mis- own selection, or from his own
walks in life. The lawyer, the doctor,
the merchant, the manufacturer, the ban
ker, the bondholder, the journalist, the
printer, end the mechanic, each h&ya rep
resentatiyes from their own cs.lings; the
farmer alone, though tic furnishes the
msjority Of the votes, has rome. OF
course there is dissatisfaction, and dis
trust CT old parties among the farmers.
There are those who believe th.t there
Should DE new party formed wherein
the agricultural element would pcad0mi-
nate. Men holding these views
were in the Atlanta convention
and some OF them proposed
and endeavored to have passed resolu-
tons which would form the ground work
for the organization Of Farmers party.
TIE question wss ably discussed and well
considered, but an overwhelming major
ity Of the delegates were found opposing
it. The convention adopted Instesd the
following resolutions:
Whereas, # the farmers of the south ever Sc
cuye relief from unjust taxation by tariffs or
agencies Of our age and COuntry-the organized
labor ballot and
Whereas, while such local organizations rs
the Grange, the Agricultural Wheel and the
Farmers Alliance and kindred organizations.
are OF the highest importance rs educators OF
the farmers up to ar spprCCla ion OF their true
INTEREST," yet they viii be poWeriCss as mere
guerllas to secure the deserved results unless
ell are united In one grand army of voters .hay-
ing Il common interest, casting their ballots
and their influence for 9 common end and
Whereas. the history OF this republic has de
mons rated the fact that there have. from its
fjundati n, always been and always viii be
two great, thoroughly organized armies. tight
ing for diametri 5aily opposite PRINCIPLES OF az
minstraton, and that all attempts to slough
OH struggling squads CT guerTiIas under the
name of third parties, have ever proven not
only failures but farces, and have set back
rather than forwarded the causes they have
espOTsed; therefore,
Resolved, that it Is the deliberate sense Of
this convention that the farmers of the south
-y.4g
through the fundamentally of their respective
plrties already organized and equipped and IN
the field, and that they sholld. with their
united and organized ballots, so control those
parties as TO make them subseryieOt to their
Will.
This is sensible end the only practical
method Of dealing with the political as
pect of the farmers organizations. Pc
litical parties cannot be made; they
grow and become part Of the growth OF
the centuries. Branches &nd ofshoots may
flourish and thrive locally but no bralch
or ofshoot can hope 10 become larger
than the parent stem, Opposing parties
will always exist, and two only can be-
come national, and these will be about
equally divided in numbers. Large ms
jorities are unratur.I srd almost impos-
sible in country where exist free press
and free speech. Oae or the other Of
these parties will dominate for s w1j,s,
AMI only for . while, un!N it has to aire
way fer its rival. The stronger q nation
al psrty grows in numbers TIE nearer it
approaches defeat, because as soon Is op-
position becomes futile ii will 1911,
crushed beneath its own weight TIE
farmers, if they desire legislation, can
control and must control either one or
the other OF the national parties. Tney
cannot start enothe- il dsy or q month
II such s thing were possible prudence
would oppose it because lis unnecessary.
The trouble is that the farmers DO not
take sufficient interest in the politics Of
the country. They depend too much on
the supposed potency Of the ballot Dox,
They forget that when the day Of cleo
ton comes around issues are practically
decided, the tickets are made up
and the men selected to represent
them. They do not consider that it is
at the primaries, caucuses and conven-
tons, places where farmers are always
welcome and urged to attend, that poll
cies and platforms are formulated and
settled upon aud that mere voting is,
while eminently laudable and necessary,
perfunctory. Instead OF organizing
new parties and constructing costly and
useless machinery, the old parties should
be adhered to. New parties can, and do,
advertise certain ideas and bring them
prominently to the front. but scarcely
more. II our farmers would begin in
time, discuss in neighborly way the
various public issues and necessities, set
tie on policy and carry it to the pri
mary, caucus and convention until it be-
comes crystslized into an article of party
faith, they could obtain al they desire
without new party. And, if their num-
bers ere not sufficient to control the old
parties, it Is useless to expect that it csn
be accomplished by the organization Of g
new psrty.
Providing Water Supply.